Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46130 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46130 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
“On it,” Talon answered.
“He’s starting to turn blue, Faust,” Gabriel mentioned in a deceptively casual tone. Faust knew he must have seen the shop on the security camera.
“I don’t fucking care,” Faust snarled, not taking his eyes off the man in front of him.
“Me, neither,” Gabriel admitted.
“It’s ringing, Faust. I have it on speakerphone,” Talon told him.
You’ve reached Molly’s phone. Leave me a message and I’ll call you back.
“Fuck!” Faust cursed. “You are dead if you’ve harmed a hair on her head.”
The man swung an arm toward Faust’s shoulder and the large man deflected it easily. The snap and muffled groan of the collateral damage for that move didn’t quench the blood lust flowing through Faust’s body. He was going to tear him apart bit by bit. That finger was nothing.
Blade was by his side in a flash. Armed with a thick zip tie, he restrained his arms behind his back as Faust held him pinned in place.
“That picture’s in the office at her desk. Call the church. It’s in my contacts,” Faust ordered.
“Hello?” a shaky male voice answered.
“Where’s Molly?” Faust demanded.
“I don’t know. This is Minister Steve. A man just broke in here and tried to take her. I need to call the police.”
“He doesn’t have her?”
“I saw her running away. I tried to stop him. He knocked me down. I must have hit my head,” the older man guessed. “Lester O’Brien was here. I don’t see him now.”
“Call the police. We’re on our way,” Steele advised. He stepped away without hesitation. The men would take care of him. He had more important things to do.
“What do you want me to do with this dickwad?” Bear called from his seat on top of the struggling visitor, after a short tussle.
“Tie him to something. Will you stay with him, Rock, Gabriel?” Steele threw over his shoulder as they ran for their bikes.
“We’re missing the fun,” Gabriel told Bear as he finished tethering his feet to one of the motorcycle lifts.
“Ummm. Is everything okay? Should we leave?” one of the customers who’d been in the waiting room asked.
“You’re fine. They’re just taking a break,” Rock assured them as he rose smoothly to his feet and headed for a phone. “There will be a bit of a delay in finishing your tune-up.”
“Good af…” The rest of that word disappeared from her brain as Molly looked up to see the visitor to the church office, holding his phone to take a picture of her. Reaching out automatically for her keys, Molly bolted to her feet and heard her office chair clatter noisily to the tiled floor.
“Molly? Are you okay?” Minister Steve called from his office.
“Call the police,” she yelled as she backed away, recalling the familiar man in front of the waist-high counter that separated them.
“More of those hoodlums visiting?” Lester suggested as he walked back from the kitchen at the rear of the office space with a coffeepot full of water. He was still fuming that Molly wasn’t making and bringing him coffee.
“That is the man who assaulted me yesterday and has left drugged candy on my car,” Molly answered, angling her path to disappear into the private area.
“What? This guy doesn’t look like he’d hurt a fly.” Lester scoffed, continuing to the coffeepot. He fit the water-filled tank back into place before picking up a fresh coffee mug.
“Yeah, Molly. I couldn’t hurt a fly,” the man repeated as he opened the swinging gate that allowed access to the space behind the counter.
“Stop right there, young man. This is a church. We will not tolerate any violence or shenanigans here,” Minister Steve told him, gripping the gate to prevent him from walking through.
“Right,” the man drawled sarcastically before backhanding the minister to knock him out of the way.
Molly saw him tumble and strike his head. That sickening thump of his head against the wall forced her to move. She darted past Lester and ran down the hallway. Hearing the crash of a ceramic coffee cup behind her, she suspected that Lester had dropped his coffee, shocked by the intruder’s treatment of their boss.
Turning her head to see how close the man was to her, Molly spotted Lester running behind her. She skidded to a stop at the back door. It led back into the storage areas of the church and was kept locked. She fumbled with the keys in her pocket and looked down to find the right one for that deadbolt.
Glancing over her shoulder to see where the man was, Molly could see him stalking down the hallway as if he had all the time in the world. The look on his face was of a hunter triumphantly cornering his prey. She forced herself not to panic and scanned the keys.
“Molly, you’ve led me on a merry chase…” he called.
“Stop right there. This space is only for church officials and employees,” Lester warned, holding his arms out to the sides to block as much of the hallway as possible.